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Dawn - 21:28 Mar 05, 2026
Kristi Noem, who oversaw United States President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown and faced bipartisan criticism in hearings this week, will leave her role as homeland security chief at the end of the month. Trump will tap Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her, he said on his Truth Social platform, a move that would require US Senate confirmation. Noem, a former governor of South Dakota, became one of Trump’s most high-profile cabinet secretaries with social media posts that portrayed immigrants in harsh terms, highlighting cases of alleged criminal offenders and using vitriolic language. She faced criticism in January when she quickly labelled two US citizens fatally shot by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis as committing “domestic terrorism”. Videos that emerged after the deaths undercut the assertion by Noem and other Trump officials that the two deceased — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were violent aggressors. The public backlash for deaths led the Trump administration to ... -
Dawn - 20:58 Mar 05, 2026
Pakistan expressed “serious concern” on Thursday on recent attacks targeting Azerbaijan and Turkiye, calling for restraint and emphasising the need for dialogue and diplomacy. The calls comes against the backdrop of an ongoing war between Iran and the US and Israel, which has expanded across the Middle East with Tehran targeting US bases and assets in other countries and Tel Aviv targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon. On Thursday, a drone struck an airport building in Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhichevan and exploded. Two people were injured in the incident, for which Azerbaijan held Iran responsible, but Iran has denied involvement in the incident and blames Israel. On Wednesday, Turkiye summoned the Iranian ambassador after a missile — apparently targeting a Cyprus base — landed in Turkish territory. Iran’s armed forces have also denied firing any missile towards Turkiye. Following the two incidents, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement that Pakistan expressed “serious concern” over the recent attacks target... -
Dawn - 20:16 Mar 05, 2026
The Indian Air Force (IAF) said on Friday that a fighter jet, which was on a training mission, crashed in the northeast Indian state of Assam. “The Su-30MKI which was on a training mission, crashed in the area of Karbi Anglong, Assam, approximately 60km from Jorhat,” the IAF said on X. Search operations are under way, the IAF added. Earlier, the IAF had said that the fighter jet had not returned or made contact at its expected time after taking off from Assam at 7:42pm local time (1412 GMT) on Thursday. “An IAF Su-30 MKI is reported overdue. The aircraft had taken off from Jorhat, Assam and was last in contact at 7:42pm. Further details are being ascertained. Search and rescue mission has been initiated,” it said in a post on X. The IAF has been beset by incidents involving fighter jet crashes in the recent past. Su-30 MKI’s crash comes around 10 days after the IAF lost a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Tejas light combat aircraft as it overshot the runway at a frontline airbase, sustaining major damage to its ... -
Dawn - 18:30 Mar 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari gave his assent on Thursday to the NAB (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which allows for an extension in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairperson’s term by another three years. The president’s approval came hours after the bill was rushed through both Houses of Parliament amid the opposition’s outcry and a day before the term of incumbent NAB Chairman Lt General (retired) Nazir Ahmed was set to expire. Ahmad became the NAB chairman on March 4, 2023, after his predecessor Aftab Sultan resigned, citing “interference” and “pressure” as the reasons for his departure. An official source told Dawn that a notification extending the term of Lt General (retd) Nazir Ahmed for another three years had also been issued, and he would now hold the office till March 2029. Amendments Previously, a NAB chairman served a non‑extendable term of three years and was not eligible for reappointment under the NAB Ordinance. An amendment to its Section 6 now allows the chairman to serve a three... -
Dawn - 18:11 Mar 05, 2026
India clung on to beat England by seven runs in a thrilling T20 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday, despite Jacob Bethell’s superb 105. After Sanju Samson’s scintillating 89 laid the platform for India to pile up a massive 253-7, England fell just short in what would have been a record chase, finishing on 246-7. Phil Salt (5), Harry Brook (7) and Jos Buttler (25) fell early, but Bethell, aided by Will Jacks (35) kept England in the hunt. The left-hander hit seven sixes and eight fours in his 48-ball thrash before his run out in the final over finally allowed India to celebrate in front of 35,000 jubilant fans in Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium. India will face New Zealand in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad as they attempt to become the first team to retain the trophy and the first to win it on home soil. The hosts, having been asked to bat by Brook, earlier flayed England’s attack to all parts of the ground, hitting 19 sixes and 18 fours. Samson signalled his intent with a four and six off Jofra Archer’s first ... -
Dawn - 16:41 Mar 05, 2026
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday stated that “agenda-driven fake news targeting the character of our players is unacceptable and will not be tolerated”. The development comes after several Indian media outlets reported that an unnamed member of Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup “misbehaved” with a female housekeeper at a hotel, ahead of their Super Eight match with Sri Lanka in Kandy. A similar report was also carried by ARY News, which alleged that the player in question was Salman Mirza. The report has since been taken down. However, the PCB’s statement did not make specific mention of any news reports or the allegations. “Agenda-driven fake news targeting the character of our players is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” it said. “The reporter must publicly apologise without delay; failing which, the PCB will take all necessary steps to ensure such malicious conduct is dealt with firmly and nipped in the bud,” the board said, without specifying which reporter it was referri... -
Dawn - 16:04 Mar 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday decided in principle to start weekly revisions for petroleum prices effective from March 8 and to implement measures such as distance learning and work-from-home for the conservation of fuel amid possible oil supply disruptions due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The national action plan was crystallised in consultation with the provinces at a meeting of the cabinet committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for monitoring petrol prices due to the regional situation. The action plan will be presented to PM Shehbaz on Friday. Subject to his clearance and fine-tuning, it will then be taken up by the federal cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee for formal approval and implementation. Back-to-back meetings of the three forums are scheduled for Friday, in that order, given the urgency of the matter. According to informed sources, the contingency measures had also been discussed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). During the meeting of the cabine... -
Dawn - 15:07 Mar 05, 2026
Turmoil in the Middle East has sent investors scrambling for safety once more, reigniting a debate over which assets truly offer protection in times of stress. The choice is complicated, as traditional refuges behave unpredictably. Gold has swung sharply, and the dollar — which has been out of favour in the past year — has bounced back. Here’s a look at how some of the favourites stack up: Greenback passes a test The dollar has arguably performed the best among safe havens this week. The dollar index, which tracks the US currency against six others, is up 1.5 per cent. The dollar has even gained against the Swiss franc and yen, which both typically outperform at times of market stress. That’s particularly notable as the dollar weakened when stocks fell following last April’s tariff turmoil, raising questions about its safe haven status. It’s short-term dollar cash that’s in demand, not other dollar assets, flow data shows. Of course, the US is a net energy exporter, so a crisis like this that sends benchmark ... -
Dawn - 14:38 Mar 05, 2026
PESHAWAR: A senior security official has said that the Afghan Taliban were well aware of Pakistan’s concerns and demands, adding that the regime needed to take “verifiable steps” if it wanted a ceasefire or a dialogue. Relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban are at their lowest point in the four years since the group came to power. On Feb 22, Pakistan targeted terrorist camps and hideouts overnight in the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan, which led to the Afghan Taliban launching unprovoked attacks along the border last week. In response, Pakistan on Feb 26 initiated Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. Briefing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-based journalists at the Inter-Services Public Relations headquarters, the senior security official said that the Afghan Taliban regime was “well aware of Pakistan’s concerns”, adding that the “decision was now theirs”. “If they want dialogue or a ceasefire, they must take verifiable steps,” the official said. “Pakistan does not wish to attack anyone; our priority remai... -
Dawn - 14:35 Mar 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: A meeting with incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan remained out of reach for the party on Thursday, while jailed party leaders called on the government to reconsider its approach toward the former premier. On Wednesday, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja had issued a list of six people for a meeting with Imran. The list had included MNAs Shahid Khattak, Shabbir Ali Qureshi, Javed Waraich, Adil Bazai, Sohail Sultan, and also Major (Retd) Fayyaz Ahmed. The list was sent to the jail authorities as per the direction of the apex court. However, on Thursday, Qureshi told Dawn that when he, alongside other PTI leaders, reached Adiala jail, they were not allowed to meet Imran. “We had arrived at 1:30pm and informed the jail administration that, as per the directions of the court, we should be allowed to meet Khan sahib. They told us that names have been forwarded for approval, and suggested we wait,” he said. Qureshi said that they waited till 3pm, which was the cut-off time for jail meetings during R... -
Dawn - 12:54 Mar 05, 2026
By the sixth day of the war, the conflict that Israel and the United States had initially framed as a concentrated campaign against Iran’s strategic infrastructure had started to assume a different character. The airspace over Iran continued to be dominated by the US and Israel, and both sides were still trading missiles. But noticeably, the battlefield was quietly widening, and the war’s logic was shifting from decisive blows to cumulative pressure. If the first five days were about shock and counter-shock, the sixth day looked increasingly like the deepening of an attrition contest. Events over the past 24 hours illustrated that shift with unusual clarity. The lateral spread The most visible sign of geographic expansion came not inside Iran or Israel but in the South Caucasus. Two kamikaze drones struck separate locations at the airport in Nakhchivan, the Azerbaijani exclave wedged between Iran, Armenia and Turkiye. Videos circulating on regional channels showed the distinctive engine tone associated with t... -
Dawn - 12:35 Mar 05, 2026
UK police on Thursday said they had released three people arrested on suspicion of spying for China, including the husband of a lawmaker from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ruling Labour Party. The trio, aged 39, 43 and 68, were arrested on Wednesday by counter-terrorism officers in London and Wales on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. All three had “subsequently been released on bail to a date in May”, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Chinese espionage is a politically sensitive subject in Britain and the case could become awkward for Starmer, who visited Beijing recently, aiming to reset relations with the Asian giant. The media reported that the husband of Labour lawmaker Joani Reid was among the three. Reid said on Wednesday that she had never “seen anything to make me suspect my husband has broken any law”. Her husband, David Taylor, 39, is listed as a “lobbyist” on her list of registered interests. According to his LinkedIn page, he works for Asia House, a think tank... -
Dawn - 11:38 Mar 05, 2026
The government on Thursday refuted a “fabricated” notification claiming the Cabinet Division had ordered the “temporary suspension of all port entries in Pakistan” due to the security situation until March 10. “No such order has been issued by the Cabinet Division or the Ministry of Maritime Affairs,” the information ministry clarified in a fact check. The clarification comes amid the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East, which have disrupted sea traffic coming through the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast. Pakistan has formally requested that Saudi Arabia provide an alternative oil supply route through its port city of Yanbu to maintain its fuel supply chain in the wake of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. However, the fake notification, dated March 4, did not make any mention of the Iran war. It claimed that an emergency meeting had been convened by the maritime affairs ministry “in view of the prevailing security situation”, without expanding further on the security concerns. The fabricated notificati... -
Dawn - 11:32 Mar 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Centre on Thursday asked all the provincial governments to ensure physical inspection and monitoring of retail petrol stations through respective deputy commissioners to avoid hoarding of petroleum products for undue profiteering. The government also appointed Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh, a grade-22 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, as the Petroleum Division secretary — a post lying vacant for the past couple of months. Shaikh, a former secretary of finance and planning, was working as the national food security secretary. In an announcement, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) said the government had assured the public that the country currently held sufficient stocks of petroleum products to meet national demand and there was no need for panic buying or hoarding. It should be noted that the government is currently mulling shifting the petrol pricing mechanism from the current fortnightly basis to a weekly basis. It is also considering providing full financial cover to oil market... -
Dawn - 11:17 Mar 05, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday that the agreement between India and Canada for uranium supply represented “yet another country-specific exception in the field of civil nuclear cooperation”. On Monday, India and Canada reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power. “In civil nuclear energy, we have struck a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply,” Modi said, adding the countries would also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors. Responding to media queries on the matter, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said, “Pakistan has noted with concern the long-term uranium supply agreement concluded between Canada and India and potential cooperation on small modular reactors and advanced reactor technologies between the two sides. “This arrangement represents yet another country-specific exception in the field of civil nuclear cooperation,” he said. He maintained that “it is parti... -
Dawn - 11:08 Mar 05, 2026
The central bank is expected to hold its key policy rate steady at a policy review on Monday, a Reuters poll showed, as rising global energy prices and regional tensions cloud the inflation outlook and limit the room for cuts. All 10 analysts in a Reuters poll expect the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to hold the rate at 10.5 per cent, after policymakers held the rate in January. The central bank has cut the key rate by a cumulative 11.5 percentage points since mid-2024, from a record high of 22pc. Escalating Middle East tensions after the US and Israel attacked Iran have raised the risk of disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and pushed oil-and-gas prices higher, adding to Pakistan’s import bill and inflationary pressures. Analysts expect inflation to average between 6pc and 8pc in the coming months, but warned higher oil prices could push it up further. “Energy prices should dictate the policy rate trajectory. Inflation could average around 7pc during the second half of FY26,” AKD Secu... -
Dawn - 10:57 Mar 05, 2026
Semi-final hero Finn Allen said New Zealand’s thumping demi-final win over South Africa was a “huge confidence booster” ahead of going for their maiden T20 World Cup title in Sunday’s final. Opener Allen hit the fastest-ever T20 World Cup century, off 33 balls, to give his side a crushing nine-wicket win over South Africa and set up a final against India or England in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Allen blasted 10 fours and eight sixes as New Zealand raced to their victory target of 170 with 7.1 overs to spare at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. It was a bruising defeat for 2024 runners-up South Africa, who had been unbeaten in the tournament. “They fight hard, they come hard at us, they’ve got good tall, fast bowlers and it makes it challenging for us,” Allen said of Aiden Markram’s South Africa. “Their boys hit the ball hard, so to get one over them is a huge confidence booster for us going into Sunday. They’ve been the in-form team the whole tournament.” The Auckland-born Allen rose to the occasion in the knockout match aft... -
Dawn - 10:05 Mar 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The country continues to face critical challenges in financing and ensuring access to education, reveals a government report released on Thursday. With an alarming number of out-of-school children and 77 per cent of ten-year-olds unable to read and understand a simple text, the urgency of aligning financing priorities with teacher quality, learning materials, and stronger assessment systems has never been greater. Whereas the country’s declining trend in education spending reflects a progressive weakening of education’s position within the national fiscal framework. This was pointed out in a new 171-page report titled “Public Financing in Education 2025-26” released by Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE) –a subsidiary of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training in Islamabad. The report covered low funding in overall education sectors, the role of provincial foundations, learning outcomes, underfunded special education and several other areas. The report analysed education finan... -
Dawn - 09:51 Mar 05, 2026
Pakistan’s benchmark index, the KSE-100, closed in the green on Thursday, gaining 5,433.46 points to settle at 161,210.67. This represents a 3.49 per cent increase from its previous close of 155,777.21 points. Analysts at Topline Securities noted that “momentum gathered strength as the session progressed”. By 10:30am it had gained more than 2,000 points, extending its rise to 3,815.48 points by 11:37am. By 1:02pm, the benchmark was up 4,954.54 points before closing with further gains. Compared to earlier sessions this week, trading on Thursday was marked by relatively lower volatility, with the market holding onto its upward momentum and experiencing only limited pullbacks during the day. Analysts at Topline Securities observed that “it was not merely a rebound, but a statement rally marked by decisive accumulation and broad-based strength”. Trading activity remained healthy, with total volume recorded at 402,543,323 shares and a traded value of Rs29,240,310,794. Among the most actively traded stocks, K-Elect... -
Dawn - 09:32 Mar 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday summoned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over the delay in local government elections in the federal capital. The term of the last local government in Islamabad expired in February 2021, and since then, elections have been delayed under various pretexts. As a result, around 2.5 million residents of Islamabad continue to face issues ranging from water shortages to unpaved streets. A five-member ECP bench — headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja — took up the issue of delay in holding local government elections in Punjab and Islamabad, a press release issued via the ECP said. During the hearing, Raja was informed that the secretary of the interior ministry had been sent three letters by the ECP, in which he was asked for “the demarcation of the town corporation, the number of union councils in each town corporation, the provision of the maps of the town corporations, as well as necessary amendments in the ordinance”. However, EC...
7911 items